Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clamdiggers” come from?

clamdiggers (English) comes from English clam, from Middle English clam, from Old English clām, from Proto-West Germanic *klaim, from Proto-Germanic klaimaz, from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European gewl- — to bend, arch.

clamdiggers (English): Waders; rubber pants worn when wading in shallow...

Definitions

  1. Waders; rubber pants worn when wading in shallow...

Ancestry of “clamdiggers”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclamA bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those...
2Middle Englishclampincers, vice, clamp; viscous, sticky; slimy
3Old Englishclāmclay, mud; paste, mortar, mud, clay, poultice
4Proto-West Germanic*klaim—
5Proto-Germanicklaimazclay, mortar
6Proto-Indo-Europeangleh₁y-to smear, putty; to stick, glue
7Proto-Indo-Europeangleh₁-ball, lump
8Proto-Indo-Europeangewl-vessel; ball; vessel, bowl, ball; ball, bowl,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeangēw-to bend, arch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gēw- →